LOS ANGELES, June 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Adding to the enhanced line-up of retailers and restaurants at Baldwin Hills Crenshaw, Southern Girl Desserts has opened a new 1,200 square-foot restaurant and bakery at the mall with a dedicated exterior entrance for pick-up orders. This is the second location for Southern Girl Desserts, which currently operates on Pico Boulevard in the Wilshire Vista neighborhood.

Considered the first and only southern-inspired dessert company in Los Angeles, Southern Girl Desserts was founded in 2007 by co-owners Catarah Hampshire and Shoneji Robison and is best known for its unique cupcake flavors, along with the best of the South's cakes, pies, cookies, pudding and cobblers. The bakery also specializes in custom cake designs including wedding cakes as well as dessert and candy tables for special occasions. The business was recently featured on Season 6 of the Food Network's "Cupcake Wars".

"Southern Girl Desserts will make a fantastic addition to line-up of retailers and restaurants we have here at Baldwin Hills Crenshaw," said Ken Lombard, Principal with Capri Urban Baldwin, LLC, owner of the mall. "They are exactly the type of top-tier company that we want to attract to the mall as we continue to enhance the customer experience. We look forward to working with Catarah and Shoneji in growing their business and bringing their delicious treats to the Crenshaw community."

Southern Girl Desserts is bringing its "Cupcake Wars" experience to Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza at its official grand opening celebration on Saturday, June 30 from 12pm-4pm. The party will include a cupcake-eating contest at 2pm, free dessert samples, and more. Cupcake enthusiasts are encouraged to pre-register for the contest at the BHCP store beginning Monday, June 25. Registration is $20 per participant, and all proceeds will benefit CLIMB, Inc., a local non-profit that develops underserved youth to recognize their potential to be competitive collegiate participants, stewards of the community, and effective global leaders.

The dessert shop looks forward to being part of the transformation at Baldwin Hills Crenshaw, which recently underwent a top-to-bottom $35 million makeover and welcomed several other new restaurants including Saffron Indian Cuisine, Buffalo Wild Wings and Post & Beam restaurant.

"We saw this as a great opportunity to grow with the community", said Hampshire. "We appreciated that the mall ownership believed in our company and the vision that we have to bring gourmet southern desserts to the surrounding area. BHCP goes above and beyond to support its tenants and we recognized that we would have a great support team to assist in our success. We encourage the community to come out and celebrate with us on June 30 – the cupcake-eating contest is going to be insane!"

About Baldwin Hills Crenshaw

Baldwin Hills Crenshaw is an 870,000 square foot retail destination located at the intersection of Crenshaw Blvd. and Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. in Los Angeles, California. Anchored by Macys, Sears and WalMart, with over 100 specialty stores and dining options, Baldwin Hills Crenshaw has long been recognized as the hub of the surrounding communities. From a signature concert series known as BHCP Live!, monthly Kid's Club and a weekly Farmers' Market to the many public services offered at the mall, it is clear that BHCP is more than just a place to shop, it's a central gathering place for the local community. With Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza so entrenched in local lifestyle, we are committed to making this neighborhood an even better place to live, work, shop and just BE! We have teamed up with some great partners to support a variety of worthwhile events and continue to support efforts and programming that reflect the history and interests of our local residents. Baldwin Hills Crenshaw is managed and leased by Primestor Development, Inc. Primestor is a full service commercial real estate firm specializing in the management, revitalization, and development of shopping centers in urban locations.